Broken Sparks
by DracinaStormsailor
Summary: Jazz has a dark, painful past and Prowl may be the only mech who can help him. Not a feel-good story. Heed the WARNINGS writen at the top of the story.
1. Life Isn't Always Fair

Alright, my evil processor is at it again! This idea popped into my head, and by Primus it would not go away till it was on paper (well on the laptop).

This is intended to be a one shot because I got few ideas to continue on. If you guys want it to keep going I'm going to rely on the readers and reviews for ideas. Also, for those that are stumbling across this fic first, I'm doing a mass update. This means that my two other stories, Nightspark and Incompatible will be updated as well. Chp4 for Incompatible and Chp9 for Nightspark. Go ahead and check out those two if this isn't your style. Each story is different.

**_WARNING:_** Implied rape but no actual written out actions so that's why its rated T. I'll say it again, this is not your average happy-go-lucky transfomers fic.

So I hope this is something decent and not another in-the-middle-of-the-night-created-by-insanity story. Review please!

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It was simple, really. No one ever wanted him, that's why his creators dumped him all those vorns ago in some dark alley in a Decepticon ridden city where no decent being would go. It was there and then he learned the truth. He wasn't fit for mainstream, he was just there to be used and pushed aside when done. But, if that was his purpose then who was he to argue? That's why he joined the Autobots. He at least had some sense of right and wrong, and in the army, well they would just tell him what to do and he would execute it perfectly least he be punished.

Jazz was a soldier, and that's all there was to it. A simple machine told what to do and did so without pause. He was incorruptibly loyal and most importantly, unquestionably dedicated to executing out his orders without hesitation and unmatched precision. Yes, Jazz was the perfect soldier.

It's how he climbed the ranks so quickly. He had no friends to tie him down or give him emotional distress. All other soldiers were concerned with trivial relationships or problems and never fully dedicated themselves to one thing like Jazz did. Jazz's processor was focused on one thing, and one thing only, to follow orders. The others were always tied down to other tasks, their attention caught by multiple meaningless things like having fun, dating, and dreaming of a bright future. Jazz pitied them for knowing so little. Didn't they realize all these things they enjoyed were temporary? Happiness wasn't forever, nothing was. The only things certain in life were death and pain. It was why he distanced himself from them and over time they learned to stop asking him to hang out or for his option on a significant other. So he was now alone and he was just fine with it. Being alone meant no one could hurt him or take advantage if he accidentally dropped his guard. It was because of this that he easily excelled and soon found himself aboard the best ship of the faction and under the best leader known to all his kind, Optimus Prime.

However, unlike any other soldier, Jazz felt no pride, no accomplishment for what he had become and what he had achieved. No, he knew well it was just a phase. Eventually he would complete their desires and get cast aside. It always happened, there were no exceptions. He learned that the hard way having to grow up on the streets on Cybertron in a Decepticon populated town. In such a place there was no mercy for the abandoned sparkling of an Autobot. Jazz had quickly learned his lesson and has worn a visor ever since. He hadn't shown his optics to any living soul throughout the universe. He had even squirmed past medical exams without having to reveal them. It completely unsettled him to have someone see the most vulnerable part of his frame.

"Jazz," a voice called to him down the hallway. Jazz was returning to his room since his shift just ended. His life was simple. Work, recharge, and refuel. None seemed to bother him for it. Still, maybe someone else wanted to use him now. Wordlessly he turned around and saw it was the newly appointed 2IC.

Jazz inclined his head to show he heard Prowl and was waiting for what the CO was going to say.

"Just wanted to thank you for the excellent reports. I've never had a single soldier follow the regulations so perfectly and give such detail. It makes my job easier to not have to hunt you down and ask exactly what happened."

"That's all?" Jazz asked. He hadn't moved yet. It was only a matter of time before the 2IC told him what he really wanted.

"Uh…" Prowl hesitated, Jazz was the one mech who could catch him off guard with his distant personality and some how got him talking more than he usually did to other soldiers, "Well, I'm off shift too and not really tired. Do you want to, I don't know, get some energon?"

Jazz stared at Prowl for a moment. What did he really want? He mentally shook his head. Did it even matter? Prowl would come to it eventually, they all did. With a quiet sigh that didn't reach the other mech's audio receptors, he nodded.

Prowl gave a small uncertain grin but when it wasn't returned it slid off his face and instead he fell into step beside Jazz silently.

Jazz didn't notice the awkward silence that had settled between them once they had sat down at a small table. There weren't many conversations in his past other than giving orders and asking a few technical questions, but he could tell that Prowl, however, was uncomfortable with the lack of communication as they merely sat opposite from each other sipping energon slowly.

"So…" Prowl hesitated deciding it was up to him to break the silence since the mech before him gave no indication of doing such. He was unsure what to say, Jazz really threw him off and it was something that didn't happen often. The silver mech was so strange and distant. It almost seemed as if Jazz was detached from the universe and only interacted with others when he had to.

Here it comes, Jazz thought and set his energon down to give full attention to Prowl to make sure he heard everything right the first time. From experience, some mechs didn't like to repeat, Jazz learned that painfully a few times.

"Where you from?" he asked. Jazz leaned back. It was a question no one ever asked him and truthfully, he didn't know how to answer? He gave a shrug, what did it matter?

"Grixilro," he answered.

Prowl looked at Jazz in shock.

"The…the Decepticon city?" he stuttered. Wow, this mech was really something.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Jazz wondered if he should tell the truth or if he should come up with some elaborate lie that his parents were spies and heroes. It made little difference if Prowl knew and subconsciously tightened his grip on his empty energon cube before answering.

"My creators took me there and left me alone in one of the many dark alleys of the city. They didn't say anything and I haven't seen them since."

Prowl would have spilled his energon if he hadn't already emptied the cube when it slipped from his hand in shock and tumbled to the ground. A sparkling being abandoned was unheard of. Even among Decepticons.

"They never came back? How old were you?" he asked quietly.

"Can't remember. Time runs together when you live off the streets. When they left me, I was classified a youngling. I had just been given my second frame."

"So young," Prowl whispered. The thought of what Jazz spoke of was horrifying and the fact the mech had raised himself on the streets without protection from a creator was processor blowing.

"Are you a Con seeking to go against your parents' ways or were you born Autobot?"

"Autobot but there is nothing about this faction to do with them. They revoked the Autobot ways vorns before I was sparked."

Blinking his optics, Prowl froze as he stared at Jazz wondering how he spoke about such painful memories so coolly.

"Do you know why they abandoned you?" he dared to ask.

"Just like everyone else does. Because I served the purpose they needed and one orn I wasn't necessary any more."

A missing piece of the virtual puzzle within Prowl's processor fell into place and he looked at Jazz in shock.

"Like everyone else? That's why you joined the army, to be used because that's what you think you are, a tool?" Prowl exclaimed. It really started to explain much of what most of the crew said about Jazz. The mech worked hard and executed orders perfectly but kept mostly to himself. Jazz never refused to do anything and once it was done he would ask if there was more to do, but if there wasn't he would disappear.

How much pain had the mech dealt with to be such a broken soul? Prowl asked himself silently. What had he been subjected to, to have something this cruel done to him?

"Yes. Here I am told what to do and I do it. Don't worry. It will come to an end. It always does. I'll get tossed aside but then I'll just move on to the next mech or femme that needs to use me."

"How can you say that? I don't want to use you. I just wanted to know you, be a friend."

"Friend?" Jazz echoed, confused. He had heard of the term before but never fully understood its function.

"Yes, it's when two can be together without using each other. Instead they enjoy each other's company and help, not force each other to do things."

"That is not my path," Jazz said simply, "I am done with my energon. I shall return to my room."

Prowl said nothing as Jazz stood and left quickly without even a look back. He knew it was going to take time, a lot of time for Jazz to change, if he ever did. The situation was out of his hands, the 2IC wasn't programmed for this sort of thing, this was something Ratchet needed to know.

"Ratchet, I must speak with you, it's urgent," Prowl said once he found the CMO in his med bay.

Ratchet didn't seem to hear him as he franticly rummaged through dozens of data pads on his desk in near panic haste. However, he did notice Prowl and answered without looking up.

"What? Make it quick, I'm busy."

Prowl was a bit thrown by the medic's behavior but Ratchet had always been one absorbed in his work so he answered as told, "There is information I learned recently that you might want to know. It's about Jazz."

There was a sudden pause in movement when Ratchet looked up. Jazz had always been one mech that puzzled him same as Prowl. A soldier that never was affected by Ratchet's satire and never once complained about pain. He didn't even hint at asking for painkillers.

"Well? Say it quick. I'm in a rush," Ratchet snapped when he realized what he had been doing just a moment earlier and went back to shifting through data pads.

"I just learned…well Jazz told me about his past," Ratchet gave him a brief glance before snatching up one data pad, "His creators abandoned him on the streets of a Decepticon city when he was barely in his second form. He grew up on his own."

"What!" Ratchet screeched dropping everything and jumping up, "Why doesn't any one else know about this? How could he get into the Autobot army without some sort of back ground check?"

"I don't know," Prowl defended, backing away from the outraged medic, "This is what he told me, and Ratchet, he was not lying."

Ratchet stared at him for a moment in shock but an alarm beeped from his wrist and broke the frozen posture.

"Slag!" he cursed and darted to a room, and forgot the data pads.

Prowl wondered what was happening and followed.

"Primus," he gasped when he saw what Ratchet was so worried about.

On the table was a small protoform that was obviously severely damaged. Protoforms were delicate, fragile things. It was the reason why sparklings were carried in holds within their creators' chests till they received their frames. The tiny form on the table was critically damaged, wires torn, any soft armor metal dented or ripped off. And, it made Prowl's spark ache to see the interface port's covering was ripped off and there was obvious rape damage. Who could do such a cruel thing to something so delicate and small, to something so innocent?

"Primus gave up on this one a long time ago," Ratchet muttered, "I'm doing all I can but I don't think he'll make it."

"Who? Why?" was all Prowl could ask.

"We found a pair of deserters that broke off from our faction a very, very long time ago. They had been leaking information they knew to the Decepticons. We found them at home and this little one chained in a back room with the pit fraggin mech on top of him beating him and forcing the sparkling to interface. Primus, I've never seen anything so horrible. He was silent, just lying there and I knew it wasn't the first time. This amount of damage done to his interfacing system is caused over a long period of time."

"What happened to the creators?" Prowl managed to ask, dragging his optics away from the cruel image of the beaten sparkling to look instead look at an emotionally beaten Ratchet.

"Pit slaggin glitches are in the brig. With Sunstreaker and Ironhide guard, I don't expect them to be alive tomorrow and I've deactivated the emergency medical alarms in the area. I told the two if they get hurt in the process they can comm. me personally."

"Wait, this is one theirs?" Prowl asked, it was one thing to rape a sparkling but it seemed impossible for the very creator of the sparkling to do it.

"Yes. His facial plates hold a remarkable resemblance to his mech creator's," Ratchet growled.

"Did you test them to see how many times they have sparked?" Prowl asked, a horrible feeling was creeping into his frame as his thoughts turned to the recent discovery of Jazz's past.

"No, didn't think of it. Why?" Ratchet asked, not sensing the same connection.

"Two reasons. One, there might be more damaged sparklings they've hidden or possibly killed. Or two, they may have in one point in time had a sparkling and abandoned him, say in Decepticon city," he explained and Ratchet shook his head sadly as the 2IC continued, "Jazz's situation is unheard of and with this one here it can't be a coincidence with the parents being Autobot deserters."

"One way to find out without tests," Ratchet said sadly. He could see Prowl's logic and it made his spark flare with anger if it was indeed true. Those two slaggers would not have only destroyed the life of one sparkling, but two. They deserved worse than death. "I'll call Jazz. By what you told me he should have been at an age where he will remember what they looked like."

"This could be bad," Prowl sighed.

"I know, but we have to know. If Jazz really is the spark brother of this one, it could be a key in helping the sparking survive."

Ratchet ordered Jazz to report to med bay, and as always he arrived not even a breem later. Prowl waited in the main area to speak with the mech so he wouldn't see the sparkling's condition.

"Jazz," Prowl began delicately. Ratchet was still in the room trying his hardest to keep the sparkling going, "we've captured two Autobot renegades and we need your help."

"My help?" he asked, not understanding why he was needed to identify two traitors.

"We…we think they might be your creators," Prowl said softly.

Jazz flinched and took a step back. It was the first time Prowl had even seen an emotion from the mech as fear and pain flashed across Jazz's face.

"Come here," Prowl said, motioning for him to follow to the room with the sparkling. Jazz obeyed quietly and stood beside his CO in the doorway where Ratchet was with the sparkling.

"We found this sparkling with them. At the time, his creator was forcing an interface with him."

Prowl froze when he looked over and saw Jazz's fists clench tightly as he began to shake slightly.

"Where are they?" was all he asked but the rage and pain in his voice terrified Prowl that the 2IC didn't want to think of denying the request. Even Ratchet was shocked, pausing from the treatment for a moment.

"Follow me."

Jazz went with him silently but Prowl could feel the anger and hate radiating off the mech's frame as they headed towards the brig. This was most likely going to end badly.

The guards were absent from the door and Prowl sighed knowing most likely what was happening. He couldn't blame them and wouldn't even think to give punishment. It wasn't a pretty sight to walk in on such a destroyed sparkling and he knew well that Ironhide, a trainer for young soldiers, and Sunstreaker, a soft spark for the young ones, wouldn't take to it kindly since they had been with the original party which found the creators in the act.

A bang than a grunt solidified Prowl's assumption as they entered and headed towards the back.

"Ironhide, Sunstreaker," Prowl called, "stop."

They paused their blows that were effectively turning the mech into a scrap heap.

"You wouldn't stop if you knew," Sunstreaker snarled, kicking the femme bound at his feed.

"I have seen and you're right. However, there is one matter that needs to be handled before I look the other way," he said.

"What?" Ironhide asked, surprised Prowl was actually saying he wouldn't punish them and noticed Jazz next to their 2IC.

"Bring them forward so Jazz can see them clearly," he instructed and Sunstreaker and Ironhide dragged the two renegades closer into the light.

Jazz was visibly shaking now and took a step forward. He was about to say something but all that came out was a deep snarl before he flew at the mech, punching and kicking viciously.

"Jazz!" Prowl yelled, grabbing the mech and dragging him away as he screamed in rage.

"No! Let me go! I will make them pay for what they did to me!" he yelled, struggling to get free.

Ironhide and Sunstreaker looked at Jazz with a mixture of shock and confusion. The mech was always silent and closed off and never shown such emotion before.

"They ruined my life! They abandoned me, left me for dead!"

The femme started to laugh, her voice so vile her words seemed to poison Prowl's audio receptors and seep into his frame.

"So you slaggin freak, you lived," she said, "a surprise, I was sure you were too weak to make it on your own. That's why we dropped your aft in that Decepticon city. One look at those Primus damned blue optics and some random Con would have come up to frag you quick then get rid of you, doing our job for us.

Ironhide began to understand what was happening and looked at the femme with clear disgust.

"You left me, alone!" Jazz cried, "After all the torture, the beatings, the interfacings, you dropped me like scrap once I was no good to you!"

Prowl stiffened, he should have realized what had happened to the sparkling with Ratchet probably was a repeat from Jazz's experience. It was all too horrible to compute.

"What do I care? You are a fraggin worthless sparkling, not good for anything other than a nice tight slag."

Jazz shook with rage as energon tears were ran thickly down his face, but the femme was undeterred from her verbal abuse and continued.

"Then over time the damage was irreversible and you became useless. You stopped screaming and crying. You know how he likes it when you scream. That's what happened to the little slag we have now. He went quiet faster than you did. Hasn't cried a single word in ten orns. He use to beg at my feet for food but he stopped eating too. We were just gonna slag that tight little port of his one more time and dump him, but this time we would have done the job right and killed him ourselves."

Sunstreaker, still holding the femme, was horrified at what he was hearing. Creators of not one but two sparklings had tortured and broken them beyond belief and thought of it as sport. It was disgusting, gruesome. They were below even Decepticons. Megatron could be an Autobot compared to these two pit forsaken beings in the brig.

Jazz gave a wail of agony as her words assaulted him and brought back all the pain he had pushed down and away countless vorns ago.

"No!" he screamed, "I have a spark brother! A brother and you did the same to him. My brother and now he'll probably die!"

The mech laughed loudly as if it was the funniest joke he heard in his life.

Jazz couldn't take any more. He managed to get free and flew out of Prowl's hands straight at the mech. His creator was dead before Ironhide could even react and by then, Jazz was advancing upon the femme.

"What? Stop! I am your creator! You obey me, Thiv!" she yelled, shrinking back against Sunstreaker but the mech let go and backed away. He couldn't bear to touch her any longer. He had never felt so contaminated in his life.

Jazz jerked to a halt at the name. Old memories mixing with new, his processor didn't know present from past and as his conditioned response as a youngling, he dropped to his knees and bowed his head in submission as he had done all those times as a beaten sparkling. He wasn't in control of himself anymore. The femme owned him. He was hers to do with what ever she wanted. He could already feel her and the mech forcing him, violating every part of his frame.

Prowl saw the sudden change in Jazz and it broke his spark when he realized what was happening to the mech. Even after vorns of separation, Jazz was still broke, forced to bend his will to the creators that had done so much to him. Prowl couldn't take it any more. He didn't even notice he had killed the femme till he saw the energon staining his hands.

"Prowl?" Ironhide asked in shock, "Did you just kill a femme who provoked you in no way?"

Prowl sent him a murderous stare and the weapon specialist backed off. Ironhide meant no offense; it was just one more thing the Autobots had never thought to see and added to the processor-blowing situation that had unfolded around them in such a short amount of time.

"Jazz, come on. They're gone, forever," Prowl said quietly, reaching out to touch Jazz on the shoulder. The mech flinched at the touch and recoiled. Prowl dropped his hand. What could he do? Jazz was broken and had yet to realize his creators no longer had a hold on him. Jazz shook his head slowly and hugged himself as if only his arms were the things holding his broken frame and soul together. Painful gasps and whimpers escaped the mech as he began to heat rapidly.

"Ironhide! Get First Aid immediately!" Prowl yelled as he realized Jazz was falling into some sort of shock.

He could hear the silver mech's systems working over time as Jazz suddenly doubled over and purged his tanks of everything they held and gave another dry heave before collapsing to the ground whimpering. It physically hurt Prowl to see the mech in such a condition.

"What is going on?" First Aid asked in alarm seeing the two dead captives and Jazz on the ground trembling and crying.

"We'll answer that later. Just help him, I think it's some sort of shock."

First Aid knew better than to question Prowl, the most logical mech of all Autobots, and pulled out a scanner running it over the silver mech quickly.

"It's a mixture of anxiety and sudden spark loss. He lost either creators or a sibling," First Aid said, oblivious to the fact that the two very beings responsible were next to them.

"Can you do anything?"

"Send him into a forced stasis till his systems calm and his spark ceases erratic behavior."

"Do it. Quick, he's suffered enough."

Confused at Prowl's concern for a mech it seemed hardly any one knew First Aid just silently complied with the order. Jazz was limp soon and Sunstreaker scooped the mech up.

"I'll help Ironhide clean up, you go with First Aid and tell Ratchet it was a confirmed match. He'll know what I mean."

Sunstreaker nodded and followed First Aid out of the brig towards the med bay leaving the weapon specialist and 2IC alone with the tasking of cleaning up the evidence of murder and the two spark-empty frames.

"I never, never even guessed that Jazz had been…" Ironhide said, trailing off as he struggled to think of such a devastating life like Jazz's.

"I know. He just recently told me, and then this. It doesn't seem fair. Ratchet doesn't even know if he can save the sparkling. Did you guys really walk in on…that?"

Ironhide gave him a pained nod and they worked in silence for the next few breems. This was going to be a lot of paper work and possible brig time for himself and Jazz, but he would fight to keep the silver mech out of it. The last thing the abused mech needed was to be locked up.

"Come on," Ratchet begged, "fight! You can make it!"

Prowl dropped his head when he heard the CMO's shouts over in Jazz's room. The sparkling was declining and fast. Ratchet had done all he could do but it was up to the sparkling to pull through now. The little mech had to have the will to live but Prowl couldn't blame the child for wanting to leave this life after such pain and betrayal.

Jazz was still out due to Ratchet's orders since he didn't want two broken mechs on his hands to deal with.

"He needs a reason to live," Optimus said. He decided to be with the sparkling they rescued incase he really didn't pull through so that it wouldn't leave the universe alone and uncared for. Luckily, it also kept the leader from learning what had happened in the brig since Ironhide and Sunstreaker were pulling extra shifts to keep others from finding out till Optimus himself asked what was happening. It meant Prowl and Jazz were safe from the brig for now.

"How can I do that?" Ratchet asked desperately, "he hasn't been conscious since we brought him in."

"It may seem barbaric, but how young can a spark be to merge and create a bond?" Optimus asked. Prowl heard Ratchet loudly gasp but it wasn't in repulsion.

"Any age, we just stress it in the community to wait and make sure they want such commitment. If we can get a mech or femme willing to be with him always, raise him, heal him, it could work. It has to be a mech that can deal with all the pain and be strong. And a mech who will have the will to restrain from interface unless the sparkling wants it and only when he is old enough."

"Give me a list," Optimus said.

"Only of those I deem capable. Ironhide, Hound, Prowl, Jetfire, Acree, Inferno, and well sir…you."

"Alright. It's an extremely demanding decision and I don't want to force upon any one else. I'll take the responsibility."

Prowl blinked in surprise looking over in the direction to where Optimus, Ratchet, and the sparkling where. Optimus was going to bond himself to a broken mech in a last attempt to save the sparkling's and heal him.

"It needs to be done quickly!" Ratchet said suddenly, "His spark is weakening, he's already fading."

Prowl didn't hear anything but movement next then a loud gasp.

"Thank Primus," Ratchet sighed a few nanoseconds later, "it worked. You're bonded with him. He'll need a designation."

"Maybe one day he'll be bright and cheerful again. For that hope, I will name him Bumblebee."

"Interesting choice," Ratchet began but Prowl looked at Jazz's monitor suddenly when it began going haywire, flashing some alert he didn't understand.

"Ratchet!" he yelled.

The medic was already there, checking over Jazz franticly and cursing at the same time.

"He's fading too. He's giving up. Prowl, will you do it?" he asked knowing full well the 2IC heard what happened with Optimus and Bumblebee.

Prowl nodded. He knew deep within his spark he was always drawn to Jazz, broken or not.

"Get into position. Quickly."

While he crawled on to the bed and on top of Jazz, Ratchet worked quickly to open the silver mech's spark chamber. Prowl watched and concentrated on opening his own. It was extremely hard to do when not in the process of interfacing but after a few moments he succeeded.

"Lean down slowly. Just put your sparks together. That's all it is," Ratchet instructed.

The pure pleasure, Prowl could not begin to describe, but suddenly he was knocked back by a dark waves of depression and pain. Jazz lashed out with his violent emotions. He couldn't take it any more, he wanted out. Just let him be, let him die in peace. That's all he wanted. His brother would meet him soon so what did he have to live for?

**:No: **Prowl said through their new bond, **:Your brother lives to fight another orn. Optimus has bonded with him to give him life, and hope, just as I have done with you. I want to be with you. I want to help you, and give you something you have never had:**

**:Let me go: **Jazz moaned through the bond, **:You say my brother lives and I know Optimus will care of him so there is no need for my life. He was the only mech I knew kindness from, until I met you. I do not deserve life anyways. I threw mine away:**

**:Yes you do. I want you to live and be my spark mate forever. I will help you down this trying road. It will be long and painful but I will be there, forever. I want to be with you:**

Prowl could feel the mixture of emotions through the fresh bond as Jazz struggled with himself to trust Prowl. He had been betrayed and abused for so long in so many ways he didn't know if he could give in and allow the 2IC to help him now. So many others had promised to be gentle to not hurt him and once he had been used, he realized it was all lies, but he had sensed something different in Prowl, just as he had sensed it in Optimus. In the end, Prowl won and Jazz's systems began calming, his frame cooling down as he embraced the bond and pulled himself back towards life.

"I never thought I would give out a prescription for spark merging in this med bay," Ratchet murmured as Prowl slumped over and rolled to Jazz's side once it was done and their connection ended.

"Never thought I would be the one carrying it out," Prowl added, his optics darkening.

"Get some rest. You're going to be in for an extremely long process as you two worked through this together."

Prowl nodded slowly as the world darkened around him and the only thing that didn't fade was his new partner's presence. Jazz's spark flared within his own hoping that maybe for once he finally could become whole. Yes, Jazz was sure that of all other mechs, it was this one who could do it. Only Prowl could heal his broken spark.

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Well? What did you think? Reivews Reviews!

And don't forget to check out Nightspark and Incompatible!


	2. A Commander A Brother

Alright, here it is! Chapter two and the offical kick start of getting this moving into a story! YAY!

Sorry it wasn't posted yesterday...I worked later than I thought I was going to and there were still a few tweaks here and there to be made that I didn't really get a chance to address. And of course it had absolutely _NOTHING_ to do with the fact that VT kept me up and occupied. ;P

Anyways...the full back grounds of these mechs in play of this story will come later on in the story. Right now it's more of building up how the characters are now and then going back to compare what they had been, or how they got this way.

So, I hope you guys do enjoy this as it goes story mode and if ya'll have any questions, don't fear to PM me!

Read and enjoy. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!

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When did it come to this? He wondered. Fingers tapping idly on the desk before him, he sighed and leaned his chair back, ignoring his work on the terminal before him. Decepticon life had always kept a certain chaos factor nearby but in the recent orns time seemed to literally slow down. And he wasn't the only one feeling it. Fights broke out quiet frequently and many soldiers came whining to him for any sort of mission to disrupt the mindless work they were subjected to now.

His old life would have relished the break and counted it as prized time to steal away to home and his family. But that life was dead, destroyed by one of his own fellow soldier. Once he held a vow to murder the fiend but Megatron had told him, shown him, the real truth of what happened. That simple meeting had changed his life forever. Megatron had found him, fresh out of the academy and without a place to go, still drowning in guilt. The Decepticon took him under his wing, trained him, taught him until he rose and became the commander he was now. He smirked just thinking about it. Wouldn't his creators be proud?

He wasn't a true original Decepticon, no he had been sparked an Autobot. It was a curse he had grown up with to learn how to hide and conceal from the Decepticon world. Thrown out and abandoned as a youngling on the streets of a Decepticon city, he had to learn quickly to survive and the first rule was simple, visors were lifesavers. Over the vorns he adapted to the ways of the 'Cons and in turn began to live among them, live with them. While he was no longer considered an Autobot he was not yet a Decepticon, therefore stuck somewhere hovering the in unique balance in between the two. Growing up he didn't know whom to chose. The only Autobots he had known were his creators and after his treatment, he was mere klicks from running to the Decepticons with open arms, but his processor nagged warnings at him and so he had remained trapped in the middle for so long.

"Commander?" someone called, entering the computer room that was all but deserted except for him.

Barricade allowed his chair to fall back to its upright position and he tapped a few keys that entered a code and hid his delicate work from view.

"Lieutenant Soundwave, how may I be of service?" he asked, swinging the chair around to face the much larger mech.

"Commander, I've just reported to Megatron who in turn said I was to debrief you."

"Very well, take a seat or stand. I assume this is your ornly report you give me anyways despite Megatron's orders?"

Soundwave wasn't one to show emotions but Barricade was so good at knowing other mechs' reactions that he would have bet anything and everything he had that Soundwave would be smirking internally at the comment. Instead, all that the stern mech gave him was a slight nod and prompt, "Yes Sir."

"Now what is in this report for Megatron to make it an order for you to come to me?" he asked, leaning back just slightly and tapping his fingers together quietly. Normally his nonchalant demeanor threatened or threw off his subordinates but Barricade knew well Soundwave was far from a simple minded soldier and none of what he was doing now bother him. It was this reason the commander was doing no more than what was already giving Barricade his own enjoyment instead of playing mind games with the big mech before him.

"The report has been the same as it has been for the last twenty orns," Soundwave said adding the sublet yet evident underlying stress that only Barricade would be able to pick up on. This brought to his attention again just how long it had been since any of them had had some sort of excitement or action.

"But with a new addition," Soundwave added at the end after a short pause as if letting the first half have time to sink into Barricade and take some sort of effect.

Barricade leaned forward, and his chair clicked back into its straight position as he listened intently.

"The Autobots have picked up their activity. They are seeking out our active soldiers and their families. Also, they are tracking down deserters. Two very loyal separatists have been apprehended and dragged back to their base. No news on them has been reported yet."

"What city?" he asked absently, standing up and tapping in a few more commands into the computer to save his work and log out of the system.

"Grixilro," that one word cause Barricade to jerk to a halt as he looked back up at Soundwave in surprise.

"Grixilro?" he asked.

"Yes sir. These two were Autobots who deserted a long time ago."

"What part of town did they reside?" he asked, doing an excellent job of covering up the quiver in his voice.

"The fifth quadrant. Is there something I missed Sir? Is this why Megatron sent me down here?"

"Don't forget, Lieutenant Soundwave, you report to me every orn with or without Megatron's order."

"Yes Sir. I'm just seeing a surprising reaction to this news from both you and Megatron. I'm wondering if there is some report I missed out on."

"No Lieutenant, this is above you."

A slight widening of the optics was the only show of surprised from Soundwave, but Barricade easily picked up on it and he realized that there wasn't much that could take status above the Lieutenant's clearance. In truth, due to his past of tormenting fellow soldiers, Barricade was sure he could get the larger mech's jaw to drop here and now if he added the fact that even Starscream didn't know about this information as well. But, the news troubled him and therefore his usual activity of giving himself some of the smaller pleasures in life was set aside.

"I am sorry Sir. I hope you do not view it as an attempted breech on classified information," Soundwave began but Barricade put a hand up to stop him.

"Don't. You know well enough now, Soundwave, that I am not Starscream. An unintentional question is not enough for me to subject you to punishment unless you give me reason to."

"Yes Sir. Would you like me to finish the report?"

"Do."

"The families they are going to are mainly the lower soldiers and most civilians are left alone unless they are harboring our weapons or supplies."

Soundwave continued to rattle off inconsequential details to Barricade but the Decepticon commander was lost in thought, staring straight through the mech before him as the new information threatened to overwhelm him. He didn't know why he was reacting this way. There had always been rumors of his creators leaking information, information that he used, and it hadn't bothered him like this. But there was something different. Was it because the Autobots had the deserters he was reacting this way? Was it because among the said Autobots there was another tortured soul that would recognize them and get the revenge Barricade had always dreamed of? Or was it possible that just maybe, somewhere deep down, hidden inside the dark, closed off commander there was a growing feeling that the second tortured spark was within proximity of the very creators Barricade had tried so hard to protect them from. And now, with the commander trapped in the bowels of the Decepticon base, the said broken mech was unprotected and within yards of the vile darkness that had ruined not only his life but also the life of his spark brother. It was now, Barricade realized, that after so many vorns of fighting to keep Jazz safe on the streets in Grixilro, he had failed when the darkness instead headed straight towards him.

Lost in thought, Barricade didn't have the time to suddenly catch himself as a flash of pain cut through him, causing him to grimace.

"Sir?" Soundwave asked, pausing his meaningless report.

Barricade said nothing, shifting to the nearest desk just as another flash of pain cut through him and he leaned against it heavily.

"Commander Barricade, is something wrong?" Soundwave asked, more than ready to call their medic if his superior didn't respond quick enough.

"I'm…I'm fine," he gasped, one hand over his spark as the other propped him up. But it wasn't over as suddenly he groaned and fell to his knees as pain rushed at him, this time not suppressing.

"Lieutenant Soundwave calling Medical Officer Hook!"

_"This is Hook. What do you need Lieutenant?"_ his voice rang out over the room with obvious irritation.

"Officer Hook, I need you to report immediately to the archive room."

There was a huff of annoyance at the other end of the line before a response,_"Who is it and what is happening?"_

"Commander Barricade has suddenly collapsed grabbing his chest in pain."

Hook's voice instantly changed when he realized he was probably on open comm. and responded quickly.

_"I'll be there in a few klicks. Keep him online for me Lieutenant. It sounds like spark trouble_," and with that the conversation ended and Soundwave approached Barricade. By then the commander had slid down into a sitting position against a desk. His intakes were working extremely hard and his optics offline. The only way Soundwave knew his superior was online was how his hand clawed at his chest in pain.

True to his word, Hook arrived a few klicks later and rushed over.

"Commander. Tell me what is happening."

"I dunno…" Barricade slurred, "Spark….hurts…"

"Hold still. I don't think it is spark failure. You would have been offline already. What kind of pain? Sharp and sudden? It came in flashes before hanging on for a while?"

Barricade could only nod as he gasped at another wave of pain.

"Alright. One last question Commander. Do you have any living siblings or creators?"

"Yes. Both of my creators were still alive."

"Were still alive?" Hook asked but his voice told Barricade he had found the problem.

"It's them…they're both dead now…." He gasped.

"Both?" Hook sounded surprised. Usually a loss didn't happen quickly after one sparkbonded died. It was a programmed process to give time for those attached to the spark to recover for the next loss. Two at once was incredibly painful, especially in Barricade's case when he hadn't even been preparing for it to happen.

"I see. Both of your creators have just died and you had no warning giving you no defense. First off, pain of losing both at the same time is very excruciating; second, not being prepared for it in anyway, makes it worse. Other than that, an orn's time and you'll be back on work. The pain will linger for a while and in the first few orns it'll flash though your frame a few times randomly but other than that, you'll be fine. For the rest of the orn, however, you are confined to recharge in the med bay. Lieutenant Soundwave, escort the commander to my med bay."

"Very well. Commander, how do you need assistance? Need I carry you or hold you steady?" Soundwave asked.

"Don't…you dare…carry me…" Barricade growled between gasps, "Just…help me up."

Soundwave extended a hand and pulled the superior to his feet and held a hand on his shoulder till steadied.

"Thanks," he muttered and staggered out the door after Hook.

Soundwave followed behind in case he was needed but Barricade was a stubborn mech and refused all help as he stumbled behind the medic. The commander's haggard appearance drew more than a few stares and Soundwave was sure that by the end of the orn the news of Barricade's weakened state would spread like an energon fire. It wasn't often their commander needed medical assistance or looked so vulnerable. Soundwave could see the hungry glint in more than a few optics that watched. The most prominent was Starscream's. Oh how the mech hated Barricade with a passion and the same could be said vise versa. It was so much so that if one mech went to Starscream then turned to Barricade that the other mech would do the opposite just to spite his rival.

Soundwave once even had a mission he didn't want assigned by Starscream. He went to Barricade and as best he could, without showing emotion, voiced his complaint. Instantly, Barricade scooped the mission up and threw it into the hands of some lowly soldier where it should have been in the first place. Since that day, Soundwave had gained great respect for Barricade and reported to him directly unless he had no choice. Megatron seemed fine with letting soldiers pick which commander they wanted since there were two. It was no surprise that Barricade earned the popularity vote with his strict but fair ruling. Megatron had no qualms with superiors being fair to the soldiers, he just wanted his rules followed and Barricade was sure that they were. Some had tried to push the "fair" limit but the commander had pushed right back and to their dismay, the ending result wasn't pretty or fair at all.

Another reason Megatron allowed Barricade to keep all the soldiers under his command was that the black and white mech was the leader's personal interrogator. It was a trade he had finely crafted into his own and over time he perfected so well that he could easily know who was and who wasn't lying along with a gift of making mechs talk without even touching them.

It humored Soundwave when he began to notice a pattern throughout the faction. Over time, nearly every Decepticon, with some part of a decent processor, learned of their commander's esteemed gifts, so when a mech needed to slip by with a lie to save his own hide, they instead turned to Starscream. Dealing with the seeker and his harsh judgments held a far better outlook than the thought of lying to Barricade directly and paying for it dearly by death or worse: being subjected to his unusual one on one direct method of making sure certain rules were followed where no mech was guaranteed to come out of the session the same.

They finally reached the medical bay and Hook led Barricade to the private rooms to the back where he punched in his personal code and the door slid open. He had such a room to keep soldiers from sneaking in and killing his more _important_ patients.

"Like I said, just the rest of the orn. I'll bring you energon and anything else so don't leave unless you have a death wish."

"Not a problem Officer Hook. I actually look forward to some time off of work. However, if I am to stay confined in here, can I at least have a simple clean data pad to kill time?"

Hook smirked and nodded.

"Give me a few klicks to find one."

"No need Officer Hook. I have a spare one on my frame," Soundwave said, stopping the medic from leaving and handing it to him.

"Well there you go. The Lieutenant is always prepared," he said, giving Barricade the data pad and standing there for a moment as if waiting for Barricade to say something more.

"That is all Hook, I need to speak with Lieutenant Soundwave now."

The medic narrowed his optics and seemed ready to spew out some useless attempt in making Soundwave leave due to medical codes and procedures, but he kept his mouth shut and left.

"Good, Soundwave, I need you to get your personal soldiers on this. I want recon on what exactly happened and why the Autobots are now deciding to go door to door. Use your best on this. I know Lazerbeak is on a mission but you still have Buzzsaw and Ravage here. I'll get a report as soon as I get Hook's claws of rest out of my frame."

"Is that all Commander? Would you like me to retrieve the frames of your creators for a proper burial?"

Barricade barely suppressed his snarl in time but the hate still coated his voice, "No, leave them to rot."

Soundwave hesitated to leave at the moment, surprised by his commander's reaction but when he was sure Barricade had no more to say, he turned heel and left without another word.

Groaning, Barricade tossed the data pad on to the berth and paced back and forth making use of the small length of the room as his thoughts continued to whirl. The pain had dulled and hung back as an ache so he just ignored it and the orders from Hook to get rest. The simple idea that Jazz had been over there, so close to those vile beings made Barricade want to scream and howl with failure. He had fought, so long and so hard to protect his brother from them as they struggled on the streets to survive. Now the universe was laughing in his face as it all meant nothing. Giving another frustrated groan, Barricade slammed his fist into a wall.

"Primus!"

"I thought I ordered rest. Trying to punch holes in my slaggin wall and making a trench in the floor with this needless pacing isn't rest," Hook said, entering with the promised energon.

"Yeah well, I can't recharge," he growled, scooping the energon up and draining it in one long gulp before slamming the empty container back down and resuming his pacing.

Hook watched Barricade for a moment before picking up the cube and stepping back to leave. He stopped at the door, "You know, I could just sedate you and get it over with. I don't know what's running through your processor right now to keep your program offline, but I can make you rest if I have to."

The commander paused and looked at the medic, seriously considering the option, "It is a possibility. I'm not going down anytime soon on my own."

"I'll be back in a moment," he said with a short nod and left.

Deciding it was best to try and remain still, Barricade sat on the berth, awaiting Hook's return.

"That's a start, now lay back, I don't want to deal with you possibly going out quick and falling on me," he said, smirking.

Barricade shook his head and tried to relax his frame as he laid back. He wasn't a fan for med bays and he definitely did not like the idea of someone having control over him.

"Relax Commander, it's just a sedative, not a toxin," Hook said, sensing Barricade's sudden tenseness. While the commander was a formidable foe and could make mechs before him lubricate themselves in fear, it all amounted to nothing while he was in Hook's medbay. As the black and white mech's frame relaxed slightly, Hook took the opportunity and jabbed the syringe into Barricade's neck, quickly releasing the liquid before there could be an attempt at getting away.

"Fragger," Barricade slurred before his systems finally ran their recharge programs and sent him near instantly offline.

Smirking with success, Hook left the room and made sure to lock the door behind him. Barricade was the only mech on base other than Megatron that he was actually partial to losing. He didn't care for the commander emotionally; it was simply logic. If Starscream became the only commander over them, Hook was sure there would be a bit of a riot since most had really grown accustom to having Barricade's ruling, and of course, they just down right hated the seeker.

Realizing it was late, Hook checked through his medbay before locking the outer door then retreating to his own personal room with a code none knew but him and checked it over before locking himself in till the next orn.

* * *

Ok, be honest...we're you guys really expecting Barricade as Jazz's older brother?

Ah, don't worry about all that. I hope you guys did like it and I also hope didn't butcher a few parts too badly...

So, last but not least! REVIEWS! *gives big-eyed kitten stare* PLEASE!

Think of it like this, reviews are like blood and I'm a vampire...now you guys wouldn't want me to die cause I didn't get no blood would ya'll? XP


	3. Reunion

Alright, that's it. I give up. You guys are going to have to deal with the gap. I don't think it's that bad but if it really is or you're just dying to watch Barricade kick more aft then tell me. And IF I ever actually DO get the inspiration to fill it, I shall and I will let all of ya'll know.

Some unfortunate news...yes Christmas is over, yes New Year's had come and gone, and YES spring break is dead and done...BUT! to make everything so much better *insert sarcasim here* my company has gone and bought out another. . This means that all their parkers are now coming to our lot. In other words, while any and all holidays are finished with, we're still VERY busy. Our average number of customers a day has all but DOUBLED because of this. *shakes fists at company* Naturally this means I'm gonna be hard pressed to get back on a normal schedule for updating and frankly, I'm wondering if I ever will. *sighs* So I hope you guys decide to stick with me through the chaos and broken promises.

Anyways, moving away from all that slag...this is where I normally thank Vanilla for all her help in kicking my aft to update despite my reluctance to do so. Ya really are a huge help hun! Don't know what I'd do without ya. ^^

Now one thing I want to point out before getting into it. There is a device in here called a signal suppressor. This is my own idea. What this doohicky is that it's a small disc like shape that fits onto a mech's (or femme's) chest like of like a magnet. Once attached to said mech (or femme) it blocks off all bonds and links. This is important to know for future references. It means the victim literally disappears from everyone's sensors. Any scans won't detect, not even comms or bonds can get through this thing. Yes I know it's a bad-aft device. Who can expect anything different when it's designed by Megatron himself. Now I've been struggling with its name and if any of you can come up with something better than "signal suppressor" I would love to hear it.

It is time allow your curious optics to travel downwards to the story and read. Get ready for a two brother showdown!

I hope you enjoy and PLEASE review! Pretty pretty pleeeeease!

* * *

**THE NEXT ORN…**

Barricade was back in the _same_ empty room, at the _same _terminal, working on the _same_ work he had been doing the orn before when Soundwave had interrupted the mindless process, and yet _again_ he found his thoughts wandering. Something was nagging at the commander. His Lieutenant had yet to report back to base or to Barricade and the commander was wondering if, maybe, the Autobots had captured his soldier. Knowing he would regret it, Barricade closed his work and turned the terminal off before leaving and heading over to the transportation room.

Checking first to reassure himself that he had sufficient ammunition, Barricade signed out a personal unit and took off searching for the missing Con. Souring the vast protected area of the Autobots would prove both a waste of time and near impossible. Yet, not one for backing down on any type of challenge, Barricade simply went with a guess. A few joors later, his intuition proved solid, as the echo of weapons fire grew louder. Quickly he stopped and hid the transportation unit before proceeding forward. He knew it would be idiotic if he just flew into the area guns blazing only to find out it was just practice drills or some slag like that.

For starters, getting caught in such a situation was just plain embarrassing, and bad-aft ruthless Decepticon commanders simply did not risk tarnishing well-earned reputations. Also, a foolish move like that could easily land his aft in the middle of half a dozen or so armed and trained Autobots. No, sometimes one needed a little patience.

As he neared the sounds he spotted an Autobot hiding in front of him, but Barricade easily realized the mech wasn't avoiding him but actually taking cover from another. Activating his stealth mode, Barricade pulled out a signal suppressor and crept forward. With a little luck the Autobot would never realize what happened till he onlined later that orn. Figuring simplicity was usually underrated; he decided it was time to go old school.

Tapping the mech on the shoulder he instantly ducked down, and as his unsuspecting victim looked over his shoulder Barricade gripped a hand on each of the Autobot's lower legs and jerked them up from underneath him sharply. The ending result was immensely satisfying as the strange and sudden change in the mech's stance cause his head to smash down on the rock in front of him and effectively knock him out. Rolling the offlined mech over on to his back, Barricade quickly slapped the signal suppressor on the Autobot's chest, stepped over him without giving the mech anymore thought, and looked out onto the scene. At first it seemed like a simple drill, as all firepower was concentrated on one area, till he spotted what the Autobots were firing at. Part of a mech's form showed for the swiftest of moments but there was no mistaking who it was. Barricade could recognize the Lieutenant anywhere. Now his only problem was getting into an area surrounded by armed and competent Autobots with open exposure between them and the trapped soldier.

Thinking he looked around the established perimeter for the closest mech. Maybe if he worked his way around and managed to down at least a fifth if not fourth of the threat, he could get to the mech with less risk and have a larger opening for escape.

/.../.../.../.../.../.../.../

"But Commander!"

"Go Lieutenant! That's an order!" Barricade yelled, cutting off whatever Soundwave was about to say as he looked around their cover to try and pinpoint the location of the other Autobots scattered about the immediate area making sure none had moved into their path of flight.

Soundwave stood torn for a moment, while nothing visibly showed on his well-controlled faceplates, it didn't take a genius to clearly see the mech was stuck with some moral dilemma that wouldn't be bothered by any other Decepticon. Apparently some part of his internal quandary was solved as he finally turned and ran, leaving the commander alone.

Knowing he needed to provide some sort of cover for Soundwave's retreating back, Barricade darted out in the opposite direction, also into a more open area in the hopes of drawing their fire to himself instead of having it on his soldier.

Ducking behind the first thing that could be used as cover, he nearly rebounded back into the open as he collided smack into another mech. Scrambling to get back up, he paused when his spark gave a strange twinge at the sight of the mech he had just run into. For a long moment they both stared at each other, wondering just what the familiar feeling was, but it was only a second of hesitation as they each rushed to bring their weapons up in defense.

Unfortunately, the Autobot was the slower and his optics widened in fear when he knew he was at the mercy of the Decepticon. Just before Barricade pulled the trigger and turned to seek out another hiding place, his spark flared with a heated warning and he hesitated.

"Who are you?" he asked, truly curious but never lowering his weapon an inch.

"Designation Prowl," the mech answer calmly, standing straighter and trying to pretend he wasn't being held at gunpoint.

"I've heard of you. You're the Autobot's second in command," Barricade said, tilting his head to the side slightly as he looked at Prowl with curiosity, "so why is my judgment going against me towards shooting you?"

"I don't know. Maybe the data scraps you have for moral standards are finally falling into place."

"Nice try, but my 'moral standards' are more than firm. I have seen enough in my life to assure me that much," Barricade responded.

"Then it's all lies. You are a traitor to your own race!"

Barricade chuckled, oh how little this Autobot knew, "Is that what your army teaches now? Are they saying all your precious Autobots are perfect soldiers? To think a second in command could be so foolish. You need a wake up call Prowl. Your so-called 'perfect' Autobots aren't so perfect. In face, some are downright dirtier than most mechs I fight alongside. Dear Prowl, when it comes to everything you know, you are sadly misinformed."

"No mech or femme is perfect but one misguided Autobot is worth more than ten of your repenting Decepticons."

"Is that so?" Barricade asked, still amused at how foolish this Autobot was, "I would love for you to meet the Autobots I've run into."

Holding himself proudly, Prowl just watched Barricade as he waited silently for the deathblow he believed was coming. Finding the conversation at an end, the Decepticon commander chose to ignore his spark and tightened his grip. Flinching, he dropped his weapon the next second when he realized what the feeling really meant. Moving faster than Prowl could process, Barricade jumped forward and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him as he stared at him straight in the optics.

"Tell me, who is your bonded!" he demanded as his gaze threatened to bore into his very spark and seek out the answer itself.

Shocked at this sudden change, Prowl froze while his processor took a moment to play catch up and understand what was happening.

"Like I would tell the likes of you!" he responded.

"Forget faction!" Barricade yelled, tightening his grip on Prowl's shoulders, "is it Jazz! Where are the two Autobots deserters you captured?"

"How did you know?" Prowl asked but he was cut off by another mech.

"He knows because he dares call himself my brother," Jazz snarled, coming into view, gun trained directly on Barricade's head.

Releasing Prowl the Decepticon easily moved away from both mechs and into a better position that allowed an easy escape route if it became needed.

"That's cause I am your brother."

Jazz's snarled increased.

"Is this true?" the SIC asked as he looked between the saboteur and the black and white mech before him, "why didn't you tell me you had a brother?"

"This scrap is no brother of mine. Not after what he did," Jazz answered with a growl.

Instead of the sneering or gloating it seemed all Decepticons had the tendency to do when spoken to as such, Prowl was taken aback to see Barricade drop his gaze. Pain filled the commander's optics and he could have sworn to see traces of guilt as well. Still, it could have been an act and he chose to trust his partner over this Decepticon that was well known for trickery and possessed a daunting reputation for being one of the most ruthless mechs to traverse the universe.

"I don't deny it," Barricade said, his voice quiet and his gaze still drawn to the ground, "it's my fault, but I've managed to push past it to live."

"Because you're a sparkless bastard!" Jazz shouted.

With a growl, the Con's glare snapped back up and burned into Jazz, "that is NOT true! I messed up and I failed horribly, but never, NEVER would I harm them willingly!"

"Lies!" Jazz screamed and couldn't stop himself from shaking as rage roared through his frame almost to the point of blinding him.

"Not in a million vorns would I have betrayed them, " Barricade continued, "Yes! I was naïve. Yes I now know you were right, but I was too late and they're gone."

"Nothing you say will change it. It's still your fault!"

Nodding, Barricade had always known that and would never deny it.

Forgotten by the two brothers, Prowl was floored as he stood silently, looking back and forth between the two mechs, unsure just what was happening and whom they were talking about.

"You didn't care for them. There was no real love!" Jazz yelled.

Optics flashing with rage, Barricade unleashed a terrifying growl that would have most mechs running for cover but never Jazz. The younger brother knew this mech before him and never again would he allow himself to be affected by the Con or his tactics of instilling fear into others.

"Don't you dare speak! You've never known me. I would have given them anything and everything. All I had to offer was theirs!"

"Then why are they dead! Why are they gone and you're still here?"

"Not my choice! I gave up after they were gone. I was dying slowly, painfully, but I was going to die, but he wouldn't let me!"

"Again you lie. No mech would force another to live after such a loss. To ask suck is torture."

"You're wrong."

"Am I?"

Without warning, Barricade lunged, attacking Jazz. Weapon left abandoned, the smaller Autobot seemed to welcome the attack.

They clashed with a frightening collision as the momentum from Barricade sent both of them toppling back out in the open. Barricade heard cries from the Autobots waiting for him to appear but there were no following shots at his appearance as their comrade, Jazz, was too close to him for an accurate and safe hit. However, for the two fighting, their audience was far from their thoughts as they rolled for a moment. Kicking, punching, and blindly fighting neither cared to focus on anything but the mech in front of them as they sorted through their rage, pain, and hate by physical means. Despite their choice in a random and chaotic style of fighting, each mech was actually a worthy opponent noted by both sides of faction and it was really only a matter of time before control set back in and the real fight began.

Finding himself on top, Jazz immediately went for Barricade's optics but the mech easily jerked his head back out of reach as he sunk his claws deep into his brother's shoulder plating, easily finding sensitive wiring. Jazz squirmed as sharp claws ripped and tore while digging further in heading towards the vital mainline, but he was silent as he reared his knee back and jerked it between them sharply to push himself off of Barricade. Easily taking the blow, the Decepticon rolled out from under the smaller mech, onto his feet, and gave Jazz the opportunity to stand up. Grimacing as his shoulder pulled painfully at the movement, Jazz paused for a moment to consider his options and best plan of attack. However, this time Barricade would not give him the luxury of time as he lunged at his younger brother.

Surprised, the saboteur barely managed to dodge in time but fell to one knee as Barricade caught him behind the joint, effectively knocking his leg out from under him. The attack itself didn't cause any damage but a reflexive reaction, yet still it left him vulnerable as the Decepticon now had him at a good level to kick out his own knee to his face. Jerking back to receive a glancing blow, Jazz used the movement to keep moving backwards into a roll and came up on the balls of his feet into a crouched position. This left Jazz many options to work with, defensive or not and this time he chose the offensive as he sprang out nimble as a cyber cat knocking directly into the commander's middle and sending them crashing back down to the ground once again with Jazz on top. Choosing a different method of attack, the saboteur instead latched a hand on Barricade's neck and squeezed. Grunting, Barricade ignored the grip for the moment and pushed himself up and over to have Jazz underneath now before slamming a fist down heavily on the mech's face. The grip on his throat loosened for a moment, but Jazz wasn't one to give in earlier as his other free hand pressed against Barricade's chest, the thumb claw forcing itself into the near invisible seam between his chest plates. Growling away the pain, the Decepticon shifted his weight to press his elbow upon Jazz's neck, the pressure instantly blocking the flow for intakes and lessening the flow of energon from the main line to Jazz's processor. The effect was immediate as his brother's optics dimmed with the sudden loss and his hand dropped away from his neck. But, some part of Jazz refused to give up as he dug his thumb claw in deeper and dragged down the seam. Unable to hold back a yell of pain, Barricade jerked off of Jazz, ripping the claw out of his chest. Jazz got back on his feet again, watching Barricade steadily, waiting for the next move but the commander didn't attack just yet as he smirked.

"You've definitely improved since I last saw you," he commented, subconsciously rubbing at the irritating cut on his chest.

"All thanks to the Autobots," he snarled in response.

Barricade snorted, "you dare align yourself with these hypocrites? Decepticons are far more trustworthy that this lot."

"Yet you align yourself with the Cons after what they did. After they destroyed your life!"

Barricade's optics flashed brightly with anger and he advanced forward a step, a low growl steadily rising in his throat.

Unconcerned by the larger mech's reaction, Jazz continued, "You know exactly what I speak of! Traitor! You killed them and in turned became something else; going against the very thing you said you would never be. Liar! You're no better than our creators!"

With a snarl, Barricade charged the smaller mech, but unknown to the saboteur, the Decepticon was not in a blind rage that Jazz wanted. It was just a facade. He was clear minded enough to be in control and keep his moves erratic enough to seem outraged. The younger brother unaware of what was really happening gained his cocky look Barricade knew so well as the saboteur believed the fight had been won. Such a thought was obliterated as Barricade swung out wide making Jazz easily dodge into the position he wanted as his swing instantly directed and slammed the smaller mech backwards into something very solid, his forearm pressed tightly upon his neck, effectively pinning him.

Leaning in towards Jazz, he grinned as if this was a friendly sparring match, "when will you learn from your mistakes? Never consider anything a victory till they are either submitted or deactivated. Always you celebrate too early."

Although he knew how to free himself from such a predicament, Jazz didn't move at the moment as he glared at his older brother before sneering, "ever the teacher. I don't need your help anymore. I've lasted this long without you. All I learned from you was wrong, weak, and meaningless."

To emphasize such, Jazz jerked free of the restraint and whipped out a knife, one of two hidden on his frame and dug it deep into Barricade's side while kicking out the Decepticon's legs from underneath him. Barricade rolled away from Jazz and pulled out the knife at the same time, grimacing as he saw the energon coating it. However, his priorities changed as his attention was captured by the sounds of someone running up from behind him and relying on an instinct that had never failed him, Barricade bent over and whipped his arm out around behind him, burying the blade still in his hand deep into something. The mech attacking from behind, clearly believing it was he who had the element of surprise, instead found himself flipping over the Decepticon's back and onto the ground, groaning in pain at the harsh impact and discovery of a knife hilted in his thigh. No longer perceiving the Autobot as a threat, he turned his attention back to Jazz only to fall back as the saboteur came at him in frenzy. Now this attack wasn't without its own measure of control. Barricade knew this attack all to well. It was a specialty of Jazz's; something the older brother had taught and perfected into a deadly weapon. The only good point to this was that he knew what to expect from Jazz, but it ended there as he knew he would have to concentrate and watch every move carefully least he end up getting caught by surprise and find himself on his back for the third time today.

Ducking under one swing, he instantly whirled around to dodge another attack to drop to a crouch and then spring back a step all the while remaining purely on defensive till he got into the rhythm of Jazz's attack. The dance of parries continued for a good few breems till the commander noticed a repetitive pattern and internally sighed. He had taught his younger brother to not repeat attacks least a smarter opponent study them and see what is to come, making anything Jazz threw at them useless. But like all his other lessons, it seemed the Autobot chose to ignore the advice and took to his own ways. While the majority of mechs did not have the patience or skill to see Jazz's flaws, it was really that few percent that Barricade wanted Jazz to be able to fight against and with these maneuvers, that was clearly not something that would be accomplished. Easily falling into a routine to match the saboteur's attacks, Barricade waited for a moment and changed the continuous process by allowing himself to lean into an attack yet pulling away last minute, throwing the smaller mech off balance as the silver mech automatically threw more weight into the punch to follow the Decepticon.

Grabbing at Jazz's out stretched arm, Barricade quickly brought himself around behind Jazz, and jerked the arm up at a strange but painful angel causing the mech to yell in pain. He didn't push it further, but he didn't loosen his grip either as he sneered into the smaller mech's audio.

"You really never learned anything I taught you. A pity. You could be so much more if you did. Too bad all your talent is going to waste for these pitiful mechs and they're taking you down with them. You could have challenged me at one point in time, but now look. You can't even hold your own. Imagine if I was going full out on you. Your aft would be scattered all over this place."

Jazz snarled and kicked up but the commander had already anticipated such an action and didn't even flinch as the blow missed by inches. Instead he jerked the arm up a little more causing the smaller mech to arch forward in a futile attempt to ease some of the painful pressure as his left arm flails, trying to reach around to Barricade in hopes of freeing himself somehow. However, it didn't matter what Jazz tried as he let go of his younger brother and backed away.

"Irrational, two bit processing, aft head. You've never learned, and you never will. You will always fail."

None of it mattered now. This mech had ruined his life in so many ways. He had betrayed him so many times, and ripped his spark apart to only patch it back up and do it again. It was too much for too long. He couldn't take it anymore. Old wounds reopened and flooded his memories with fresh energon as he screamed in rage and ran at Barricade, optics blazing. Rolling his optics, Barricade feigned a yawn before dodging the attack and halting the charge as he whipped his hand out and clamped it around the Autobot's neck. In one swift move, the Decepticon tightened his grip, jerked Jazz up off his feet, and slammed him flat onto his back. The impact slaggin hurt, a lot, but it was also a jolt out of the insanity he had just been consumed by as he blinked and stared up at Barricade as his processor cleared. The dull pain sharpened and he gritted his jaw together tightly to keep silent. Jazz would rather deactivate before he let his older brother know he was winning or gaining any sort of upper hand. Growling when he realized Jazz wasn't giving in, Barricade tightened his grip letting his claws sink in and gently scratch at the main line to let the mech know just how in control he was of the Autobot's life right now.

"Yield," Barricade snarled.

"Never."

Pulling Jazz up by his neck, he slammed him back down, making sure to smashing the saboteur's head roughly in the process.

"Yield," he growled again.

"You'll have to kill me first," Jazz spat.

Pausing, Barricade glared down at his brother. His grip didn't loosen, but neither did it tighten, his claws just staying where they were, still scratching at the main line. For a moment the commander stared into Jazz's optics and found himself looking back instead. That same determination, the will to not give up glared right back at Barricade. The skill might not have been there, but this was a clear reminder to him that this mech wasn't the enemy; this was his brother. This shouldn't be happening. For a long moment, Barricade contemplated on what to do, but Jazz cut his thoughts off as he managed to get to the second knife hidden on his frame and started slipping the tip of it into his brother's abdomen. Hissing, the Decepticon rolled off of Jazz pressing a hand to his middle for a moment, hunched over in pain till he mastered the sensations and straightened back up, optics flaring in anger. Grinning, Jazz held up the blade, letting the energon reflect before he flicked it out towards Barricade. Easily dodging the blow, he was instead caught off guard as the Autobot kicked out, connecting solidly on his chest, making him stumble back and nearly loose his footing. Shaking away the attack, Barricade's optics caught a glint off to his left and dove for the weapon, sliding on the ground to scoop it up in his hands before pointing it at Jazz. The saboteur froze and narrowed his optics.

"I knew it. You're too much of a coward to defeat me by hand. Go on; pull the trigger. Kill me like you've killed so many. Shoot me down here and now like you've done to helpless femmes and sparklings. Do it!"

Hand shaking due to a mixture of will power to not shoot and anger at his brother's words, Barricade stood slowly keeping the gun on Jazz. His processor was racing, raging, at the words, but the Con remained silent. A part of him screamed to do it, to pull the trigger. Not only would it be a mercy for the Autobot, but it would ease Barricade's suffering for all he had done for the mech. There would be no more punishment from Megatron every time he freed Jazz; there would be no more having to put his neck on the line for his reckless brother. Yet, that word stopped him. Brother. This was the one mech that could relate to him throughout the entire universe. A mech he had all but raised and trained. Now this was the end? Shifting nervously for a moment, he tightened and loosened his grip on the weapon wondering what the frag to do and for the first time in his life, Barricade froze. Never before had he found himself stuck in such an emotional dilemma before as he stood torn between what to do as the barrel of his gun held steady only inches away from his younger brother's chest centered directly over the spark. Despite the fact that he couldn't hope to dodge such a sure shot, Jazz kept his gaze firm and concentrated on Barricade, the intensity of his glare never backing down. Around them chaos broke out as Autobots closed in while Prowl and a few others started yelling out orders, yet none of it mattered to the two brothers. Even as hatred and anger flowed into Barricade from Jazz through their bond, he still kept his own calm and tried to sort out his conundrum.

So many vorns he had protected this mech before him in so many ways that there had been some unseen point where it all came as second nature without pause or even a thought of hesitation. All the times the saboteur had "miraculously" escaped against insurmountable odds it had really been Barricade behind the scenes, manipulating scenarios and positions other mechs perfectly with the utmost precision all so that Jazz could escape and do so without knowing of the extra help. While the actions of Barricade usually went unnoticed by the many soldiers, it would have been too much to hope that Megatron wouldn't have noticed as well. Still, each and every time, it never changed. Barricade got his younger brother out and paid for it dearly. Why did he do it? Why did he risk life and limb time and time again? It was two simple reasons. One, never would he allow his brother to suffer or be hurt he if could put an end to it because after all the vorns of protection, sheltering, and sacrifice it would have all been for naught if he ended up sitting idly by watching as Jazz rusted away in some filthy Decepticon cell on some remote backwater planet that was too pitiful to deserve a name. No, Jazz deserved more than that; his brother was above a common soldier's death. And secondly, Barricade was immensely valuable to Megatron, despite the threats, despite how far he pushed his limits, the commander knew very well just how precious he was to the 'Con leader. Then his much needed answer hit home. Right now, as Barricade held his younger brother at gunpoint, he realized he was going against everything he had ever done for Jazz and knew now that this was the one enemy he hadn't planned for, that he was the one variable never put into the equation. Wishing things had never come to this, he didn't even stop to rethink it over as he dropped his weapon and stepped back.

"No I won't do it," he said, taking another step back, "I've sacrificed too much for you to simply be killed by my hand in the end."

Confusion flirted across Jazz's faceplates for the briefest of moments before he reached down cautiously to grab the dropped gun, keeping his optics on the 'Con to watch for any suspicious movement but when Barricade just stood still, not making a sound, he gripped the firearm tightly and brought it back up to point it at the larger mech.

Just before the Autobots could completely surround them, Barricade raised his hands up, palms outward in clear surrender as he spoke again, "I'm sorry Jazz, for everything. For Angelfire and Brightstar. Yet I feel most guilt towards you for being unable to provide protection from our creators. I was too weak and I'll never ask for reconsideration in how you view me."

Shock showed again on Jazz and this time the emotion lingered for longer than last time. Internally, confusion wrecked havoc on his processor as the Decepticon spoke. All he had grown up thinking, believing, was now screaming at him for misjudging the mech before him. Many mechs couldn't handle what he had been through, what they had lived though and that any other mech standing alone against such odds and hardships couldn't have done a better job than his brother.

But, just as clarification and reason set in, his old pain hadn't given up its own fight as it pushed aside the recent revelation as it roared back to life and took a firm control of Jazz's next actions as the saboteur snarled and squeezed the trigger.

* * *

So sorry about the cliffy!

Any guesses as to what is going to happen?

I actually WASN'T gonna stop it there...but then the chapter would be WAY longer and I just love to torture with clifhangers

Now, Chp 4 is already in the works, have 3 pages typed up already, so expect it to come out a lot sooner than this stubborn one did .

Please...please...PLEASE leave reviews! I HAVE to know that what I'm writing is somewhat decent.

Last, for my readers who read my other stories in addition to this one, Incompatible's next chapter is almost done due to a MAJOR bunny bite and should *crosses fingers, toes, and another body part* be coming out within the next two weeks, if not this next weekend.

Audios!

-**_Dracina Stormsailor_**


	4. Little Brother

Here it is...FINALLY! The next chapter!

Forgive me for the long wait. Life really doesn't want me to update and now that I don't have work for a week I decided I need to get SOMETHING out, especially for the one story I haven't updated in a while. So hopefully you guys are still hanging around and you'll enjoy this one.

We finally get a little glance at a side of Barricade no one has seen before.

Well, don't let me delay any further!

* * *

Barricade remained still, not attempting to dodge the shot by any means and he was completely stunned as it was none other than Prowl that tackled Jazz to the ground redirecting an instant kill shot. Nonetheless, the blow knocked the commander flat on his back and he couldn't help but hiss in pain. The mech's actions only misplaced a very damaging shot. Ignoring the chaos that broke out, he looked at his shoulder.

"Well frag," he sighed as he saw the damage but was too weak to do much and turned his attention back to what was going on.

The infamous Autobot twins restrained Jazz while their leader Optimus Prime questioned Prowl. At the moment those above him seemed to not care to notice but he expected nothing less as he laid there silently bleeding out at their peds. As the edges of his vision started to darken and blur and he felt his core temperature drop, a familiar voice reached his audios. It was a voice he hadn't been prepared to hear, at least not in this type of scenario.

"Get your sorry afts out of my way. I know more than one of you are way over due for your scheduled scans and I'll personally remind you of that if you don't fraggin move! I heard shots and I'm not letting another stubborn glitch go and get himself slagged because he was too idiotic to come see me immediately!"

Memory proving to be more than accurate, Barricade wasn't shocked in the least to see mechs scrambling out of the medic's way as he came forward. Instantly the medic's attention went straight to Jazz as his view of Barricade was currently obstructed.

"Jazz, what the frag is going on? Why is he being restrained?"

"He shot an unarmed Decepticon," Prime answered.

"Decepticon? Why the frag would you restrain him for shooting a…" Ratchet's words died in his vocalizer as the edge of his vision caught something on the ground and finally noticed the black and white Con.

"Frag!" he cursed, rushing over to drop down beside the wounded mech.

"Heya Hatchet," he said weakly, managing a brief grin.

"Heya back you useless scrap heap," he growled scanning Barricade.

"Always seen to be running into you at the worst of times huh?"

"With your glitching processor it's expected; now shut up for a moment."

Everyone present watched the exchange between their CMO and the much-loathed Decepticon commander in shock. The two mechs seemed casual with each other, almost as if they knew one another, but was that possible?

"Uh, Ratchet are you alright? He's just a fraggin worthless Decepticon," Sunny said and everyone winced as wrench flew out and connected with metal followed by a cry of pained surprise from the golden twin.

"That slaggin thing still hasn't been confiscated or banned?" Barricade asked with a chuckle.

"And why the frag would they do that?" Ratchet questioned looking as if he was ready to challenge any mech that tried to do so, "now you stubborn aft, shut your slaggin vocalizer least you two be reacquainted."

"Right," the commander snorted, "you really think that threat has yet to change its effect on me?"

Grunting, Ratchet was reduced to quiet cursing as he concentrated his focus on reaching the split main line in the Con's shoulder to steam the life threatening flow. With the sudden pause in their conversation, exhaustion to crash back down on Barricade and to further confirm him weakened state, his intakes drastically slowed in response.

"Cade!" Ratchet yelled. Recognizing what was happing, the CMO knew he needed to snap his patient back to full consciousness.

"Hmm?" the mech asked sluggishly.

"Primus strike me down for saying this, but keep that slaggin vocalizer of yours running. Tell me, how's Midnight?"

"He's…defected…" Barricade gasped weakly.

"Really? I'm not too surprised; do you know where he is?" he continued to ask, hoping to keep the Decepticon online for as long as he could.

" 'course I do…" he muttered, red optics darkening.

"Slaggin scrap head!" the medic snapped at the Con commander, "Stay the frag online!"

"Heh, looks…familiar…"

"No," Ratchet growled in response as he quickly worked to save the mech before him, "this time your aft is willing to live."

In response, Barricade made a quiet noise which could have been interpreted as an attempt at a snort, " 'is alright…Ratch…if anyone can save me…I'd be you…"

Many Autobots froze waiting for the explosion that they knew was coming from the hatchet. Instead they were all equally stunned as their short-tempered stubborn-aft nickname-hating CMO gave no reaction to such and ignored the Decepticon as he continued his work on the injury. For the next few breems curses and various strings of profanity continued to increasingly pour from Ratchet's mouth as he worked frantically to save Barricade's life even after the Decepticon commander had fallen offline. Finally steaming the flow, Ratchet sighed and allowed himself only a klick of rest before growling and diving back to repairing the rest of the damage.

"Just let him die!" Jazz snarled.

Glaring up at the smaller silver mech, it took every ounce of will power Ratchet had to not stop what he was doing to knock Jazz out with his wrench and instead replied with a snarl of his own, "you shouldn't be so quick to judge. You have no idea what kind of mech your brother is and you've never given him a chance."

"I know exactly what kind of mech he is!"

"Obviously not when you sit there and continue to shout out nonsense you idiotic fragger."

"Then it's YOU who doesn't know what he's capable of! Because of him they're dead!" the saboteur yelled.

"But they weren't yours. Have you ever once stopped to think about what happened to him afterwards? Not only how it affected him, but that they weren't the only to suffer at that sparkless bastards servos?"

Jazz did pause then, "what do you mean?"

"Cade suffered in more ways than one, and all because you abandon him."

"Ratchet," Prime began, trying to deflect the argument before it worsened, but he wasn't fast enough.

"Abandoned him!" Jazz shrieked, "he was the one that left me! Do you know what it's like to trust someone to only online alone without so much as a single goodbye? He's worse than my creators, at least I knew they never cared for me, but that bastard had the audacity to play mind games with me!"

"You don't have any idea what happened do you!" Ratchet snapped, his patience now nonexistent as he stood up, towering over the Lieutenant, "have you ever asked him why? Fraggin idiot! You always assume and never ask!"

"And you know?"

"Yes! I know this fraggin scrap heap better than any other mech excluding his twin."

"He doesn't have a twin."

Ratchet snorted, "that is proof enough of how little you know."

"How can you know him? He's a Con! Unless you've been informing the enemy! You're our leak!"

Everyone froze, waiting for Ratchet's reaction.

They were surprised even further when their medic didn't fly into a fit of rage but raise his optic ridge at Jazz and snorted, "and I believed you were more intelligent than that. Apparently I was very wrong. The only information I gave this mech was on you."

"So you confess!"

"No. The information I gave to him was your health, your status throughout your military career. But the main reason I stayed in contact was so he could protect you."

"Protect me?" he asked, his voice suddenly dropping to a choked whisper. Silence enveloped the area as all soldiers were completely engrossed by what was happening between their enemy, their medic, and their comrade.

"Yes! Do you honestly believe all those miraculous escapes were by your training or pure luck? Cade's a commander. That gives him a lot of power, and when it came to your life, he never hesitated to use it. You should see some of the scars Megatron has given him for that 'special' treatment."

Jazz stood frozen for a brief second before he collapsed. The only thing holding him up was the hand of the twins as the world spun around him.

"No if we're done with the slaggin stupid questions," he growled and turned to Optimus, "I need him transported to the medbay immediately!"

"He is ONLY in your care until he is stable," the red and blue mech replied as he gave a nod to Ironhide to assist the CMO with transporting their new captive.

Ratchet growled out a few curses under his breath but it was better than nothing at the moment as he followed the weapon specialist back to their base and his medbay.

/.../.../.../.../.../.../.../.../.../.../

Sighing he dropped his head back against the wall and shuttering his optics he wished to fall offline. He was too exhausted to try escaping or even think to do so. It wasn't impossible or even difficult, he already knew exactly how to get out without even raising an alarm but first he needed rest and the will to leave. It was strange, Jazz hated him but something in his spark nagged at Barricade to remain and none of it had anything to do with his younger brother. So what was it?

"Frag," he groaned, "you're getting in too deep Cade, watch it or you'll be drafted into these pit-be-damned Autobot's army."

Before he could continue his thought, a small noise caught his attention and he jerked his head back up staring into the icy blue optics of a tiny sparkling. Mouth opening to enquire just who this little yellow mech was, his spark jerked and he froze suddenly understanding his reluctance to leave.

"No," he gasped, "impossible."

The sparkling studied the much larger black and white mech before him, head tilted just slightly wondering why this one was giving him a similar sensation in his spark that he had with his big brother Jazz.

Pushing rage and guild aside, Barricade summoned up enough energy to run a scan over his newly discovered sibling.

"You're a quite one, what's your designation little spark?" he asked, gazing straight into the very same intense optics Jazz possessed.

"Bumblebee," he squeaked out quietly.

"What did your creators call you?" he asked.

"No name," Bumblebee answered his response even softer than before as he looked downward in shame.

Reaching out slowly, he hooked a claw under the tiny yellow chin and forced the little mech to look up, "why so quiet? You have a wonderful voice little Bee. Speak up and never let anyone tell you different."

He could only look up at Barricade in surprise as if he had never received such a high praise before and his optics lit up brightly.

"So little spark, are you happy here? Are they protecting you?"

The little helm dipped once with a nod, "Op-mus let no one with me alone."

"Optimus Prime?" then he felt it, just as he had so recently discovered with his middle brother, the sparkling was bonded.

"Primus," he breathed, "so young. Prime is your bonded?"

Again the little yellow sparkling bobbed his head.

"I've never…It's amazing. Ingenious."

For a moment he was left to his thoughts before he felt the soft pat of hands against his leg and he looked down at the questioning expression of Bumblebee.

"Why Jassy hate you?" he asked, truly confused by the newly developed and conflicting feeling his spark was being subjected to from the recent confrontation.

Reaching down, Barricade scooped up his brother, "what do you feel little Bee?"

He was becoming further and further amazed with this sparkling. Not only was he breaking rules none have thought to break, but he seemed to actually understand and grasp the feeling surrounding his spark not even an older youngling could truly comprehend.

"Angry…sad," he answered quietly, looking guilty again as if it was himself that was creating such emotions towards this new mech in his presence.

Barricade shook his head; he needed to help his brother quickly against the stress that Jazz was creating through the brother bond. Young sparks couldn't handle spark stress well and that was the main point why many hadn't survived the war.

"I'll teach you how to block all that. You're far too young to be asked to deal with it," he told him, "but listen to me. None of it is your fault. Your bigger brothers are having some problems but it's not your fault."

The sparkling was listening closely, not exactly understanding but at least getting the main point of what Barricade was saying.

Cracking a small grin at the sparkling, Barricade let his head drop back against the wall, exhausted already. Frag, his wound was really starting to take its toll and the steady loss of heat and energon was far from helping.

Suddenly he realized he had fallen offline when a frantic squeak reached his audios and he jerked online with a groan.

"Slaggin Con. Stay away from Bumblebee you slag heap!" the golden twin growled as he held the squirming sparkling in his arms.

Barricade didn't hear a single word the mech said to him as his optics immediately sought out his brother and he just as quickly realized the sparkling didn't want to be held by the mech or to leave as he gave another shriek, tears falling down his face.

Ignoring his injuries, the Decepticon snarled and lunged at the larger mech, determined to get his brother back and protect him. Not expecting such from the mech who looked half offline, Sunstreaker was caught off guard and fell on his back as the mech tackled him, but no punches came. Instead the mech was off him the next second. Scrambling up he found out why as Barricade moved to the corner away from Sunstreaker protectively holding the crying sparkling close, his gaze daring the twin to try and take him away again. Growling, Sunstreaker stayed put. He didn't know the Decepticon's true intentions but he wasn't about to leave Bumblebee in harm's way and commed for back-up.

"You'll regret what you just did."

Barricade snarled at him and curled up slightly all but hiding the bright yellow of his youngest brother's frame from view with his own.

It wasn't long before he heard more mechs approaching and he automatically tensed. He was going to give them a fight if they dared to try and take his brother away. The only mech he would allow Bumblebee to go with would be either Optimus or Ratchet and he knew neither was there.

"What?" Ironhide asked as he was the first to come into view.

"The Con has Bee," he growled.

"What the slag? How did he do that?" Sideswipe exclaimed.

"Doesn't matter, get Bumblebee away from that fragger!" another unseen mech yelled from behind the red twin.

Watching them closely, Barricade noticed that only the oldest mech, Ironhide, had yet to agree with the others to separate them as the weapon specialist watched him closely.

"Wait," he interrupted quietly, the tone of his voice instantly silencing the other Autobots, "someone get Prime."

"Why?" Sideswipe asked in shock, "Hide, he could be doin something to the kid right now!"

"But he's not. Get your sorry afts moving and find Prime before I ask Ratchet for scraps to make my new targets out of!" he bellowed at the younger soldiers.

Quickly they scattered and the massive black mech looked back at the Decepticon who, by then, had turned his attention back to calming the sparkling down. Ironhide remained silent, watching the Decepticon. It was clear he was not harming or threatening the sparkling. By all his earlier actions, Ironhide figured the Con was only being protective of the little yellow mech. The rumors had to be true then. This mech really was Jazz's brother and Bumblebee's in turn. Slightly surprised, he grunted and shifted slightly as he kept an optic on the sparkling as Bumblebee quieted.

"Prime is on the way," he told the Con when Barricade looked up and seemed to notice him still there.

He gave the mech a nod and turned his attention back to Bumblebee as he popped his head out with a happy click, his brief upset already forgotten.

"Haven't seen him that cheerful…ever," the mech said.

Barricade looked back at the yellow sparkling as Bumblebee was still clicking happily at the larger mech holding him.

"I want it to stay that way," he responded, "I already failed once."

Before Ironhide could wonder what he meant they were interrupted.

"Ironhide, Sunny informed me you needed my assistance here immediately," Optimus said entering the cell with the weapon specialist.

"Assistance, no, but I wanted you here nonetheless," he answer, motioning to Barricade.

Optics flickering for a moment in distress, the Autobot commander paused as he realized that was laughter coming from the sparkling, not a squeal terror. With a grunt, Barricade tried to get up but he sagged back against the wall and stayed there for a moment, panting at the mere effort. Bumblebee looked up in concern as he noticed his big brother was in pain.

"Shh…little Bee…I'll be…alright," he muttered but with the alarms his systems were screaming at him, he quickly found a lie leaving his mouth as he slumped and crashed straight into stasis the next moment.

Letting out a startled cry, Bumblebee patted at Barricade, trying to get the mech awake again but it didn't work and he looked at the two others there with tears in is optics, his gaze begging them to help.

"C'mere kid," Hide grunted, scooping Bumblebee up as Optimus heaved the Decepticon up and left the brig, heading toward the medbay.


End file.
